Plate clamp



May 2o, 1924. 1,494,379

l... A. SCHMIDT PLATE CLAMP Filed July 28, 1922 5 #ff/h INVENTOR Patented May 20, i924.

raarste LOUIS A. SCHMIDT, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR TO Rf HOE AND C0., 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PLATE CLAMP.

Application led July 28, 1922. Serial No. 578,162.

T0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, LOUIS A.. SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plate Clamps, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in plate clamps Stereotype printing plates as ordinarily employed have their edges finished with a bevel. These plates are clamped in position on the cylinders or other plate carrying surfaces by movable clamping devices by which the plates may be clamped against suitable bevelled stops, the clamping devices being provided with a bevelled part corresponding to the bevel on the edge of the plate. After these kclamping devices have been moved into clamping position it is desirable that they be positively held in position so as to prevent any movement of the plate out of position during the printing operation.

It is the especial object of the present invention to provide a clamp having plate engaging clamping members which may be given a sliding movement lengthwise of the cylinder to clamp the plates in position, operating means being provided for effecting the locking movement of the clamp of such character that the parts shall be held firmly in locked position and with the bevel of the clamp and the plate engaging throughout substantially their whole surface area so as to effect a very firm rigid holding of the plate on the cylinder or other plate support.

A further object of the invention is to producea simple construction which will be easily installed and which can be readily and quickly manipulated to effect the clamping action, and the operating parts of which may be positioned within the periphery of the cylinder.

With these and other objects not specilically referred to, the invention consists in certain novel. parts, arrangements and combinations, which will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features of which will hereinafter be pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to these drawings* Figure l is a broken plan view of one of the improved clamps, it being understood that one of these clamps is provided for each plate.

' Figure 2 is a detail sectional view of the improved clamp and clamp Operating mechanism, the view being taken on line of Fig. l.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the clamp and clamp operating mechanism, the view being taken at right angles to that of Fig. 2, and on line 1/-3/ of Fig. 1.

Figure 4: is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the'clamp operating mechanism shown in plate locking position.

Figure 5 is a similar view showing the parts in full open position or plate unlocking position.

Figure Gis a sectional broken view of a modification, on a smaller scale.

Referring now to these drawings, the invention has been illustrated as employed with a stereotype printing plate marked l having the usual bevelled edge marked 2. This plateat its other side takes against one of the usual plate stops not shown, the plate being locked against this stop by the plate clamping mechanism hereinafter described.. This plate is carried on a plate support which in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, is a cylinder 3, the plate being moved to locking position lengthwise of the cylinder.

Cooperating with the` support is a plate clamp operating mechanism in which the elampingportion or part is given a sliding movement longitudinally of the cylinder and in which the parts are held in locked position after the sliding movement has been effected, and in which the clamp operating mechanism is contained within the periph ery of the cylinder.' in the particular construction illustrated the cylinder is provided with a recess, indicated at 4L, into which sets a block 5. This block is recessed near its upper end to receive offsets 6 on a traveller 7, these offsets sliding in the recesses. Secured to the traveller, as being formed integral therewith is a clamping member 8 having undercut sides 9, the undercut of these sides corresponding as to angle with the bevelled sides of the plate so that as the traveller is caused to assume the position shown in Fig. 1i, the faces of the clamps 8 and the plate will substantially coincide so as to eifect a good bearing, and consequently a rigid locking vof the plate.

"ih eige,

In accordance with the invention means are provided for effecting a sliding movement of the traveller and for holding the traveller in locked position after it has been moved to clamp the plates. While these means may be varied somewhat, in the preferred form of the invention as shown, the traveller will be operated from a rotary member secured in the recess et, before referred to, this member being operated in turn by means of a suitable tool which may project into the recesses from the top of the cylinder surface. As shown, there is provided a vertically arranged threaded actuating rod 10 which is provided with a worm 11. The lower end of this actuator rod 10 is provided with a collar 13 which takes under shoulders 14; formed in the bottom of the recess 4, before referred to, the actuator rod thus being securely held in position in the recess. This actuator rod is provided at its top with a slot 15 by which it may be turned through the medium of a suitable tool, as a screwdriver.

This actuator rod is in mesh with a worm gear 16 mounted on a shaft 17 journaled in the blocks 5, before referred to. This worm gear near its eriphery is provided with a plurality of holes 18, in one of which may be positioned a pin 19, this pin, as shown `in Fig. 2, projecting through the gear and extending on each side thereof. The eX- tending portions of this pin enter slots 2O formed in projections 21 (see Fig. 2) depending from the bottom of the traveller, the traveller being recessed centrally as at 23, to permit the rotation of the gear. By adjusting the position of this pin in one or the other of the holes 18 the movement given the traveller can be varied as desired. The edge of the clamping member 8 of the traveller is centrally recessed as at 24 to permit access to the operating slot 15 in the actuator 10.

It will be understood that one of these mechanisms as described will be provided for each plate, but as they are all alike and operated in the same way, but one has been shown, namely, that for clamping in position the plate 1 shown on the left hand side of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 6 is illustrated a somewhat modified construction which may be employed if desired, this modified form being particularly useful, however, for clamping thin plates. In the construction illustrated in this figure the clamping member 8 is arranged and operated so as to come in clamping engagement with the edge of the plate with a downward pressure. This is effected in the particular construction illustrated by causing the traveller 7 to move in a plane diagonal to the plane of the bottom of the recess 4, the recesses 5 in the top of the block which receive the offset 6 being cut on a slant with respect to the bottom of the recess, as indicated at 30. This results in a wedge action of the clamp on the edge of the plate clamping the plate firmly to the cylinder.

l/Vhile the invention has been shown and described in its preferred form, it will be understood that certain changes and variations may be made in the specilic construction shown and described, the important feature of the invention being the provision of the sliding clamp with the rotary means for operating it located within the cylinder, and the means for holding it in locked position, so that when in locked position substantially the whole clamping surface of the clamping member is in contact or clamping engagement with the bevelled edge of the plate.

What I claim is:

1. In a plate clamp, the combination with a plate support having a recess, a block having a sliding movement in the recess and carrying a clamp projecting above the support and provide-d with a bevelled clamping face, a threaded actuator rod vertically anchored in the recess, a gear in the recess meshing with the threads on the rod, and removable connections between the gear and the sliding block.

E2. In a plate clamp, the combination with a plate support having a recess, a block having a sliding movement in the recess and carrying a clamp projecting above the support and provided with a bevelled clamping face, a threaded actuator rod vertically arranged in the recess, a holding collar on the end of the rod, shouldered members in the recess under which the collar takes, a gear in the recess meshing with the threads of the rod, and connections between the gear and the sliding block.

3. In a plate clamp, the combination with a plate support having a recess, a block having a sliding movement in the recess and carrying a clamp projecting above the support and provided with a bevelled clamping face. ay threaded actuator rod vertically anchored in the recess, a gear in the recess meshing with the rod, and a pin removably carried by the gear and engaging the sliding block.

4C. In a plate clamp, the combination witha plate support having a recess, a clamp `carrying block having a sliding movement in the recess, a threaded actuator rod vertically anchored in the recess, a gear in the recess meshing with the rod and provided with a plurality of holes, and a pin movably carried in one of the holes and engaging with the block.

5. In a plate clamp, the combination with a plate support having a recess, a block having a slidingmovement in the recess and carrying a clamp projecting above the support and provided with a bevelled clamping face, a rotary .member in the recess removably carrying a pin engaging with the block, and an actuator anchored in the recess for operating the rotary member and accessible from the surface of the support.

6. In a plate clamp, the combination With a plate support having a recess, a clamp carrying block having a sliding movement in the recess said block being provided on its under side with a pair of spaced projections having slots, a gear in the recess, a pin carried by the gear and extending on each side thereof into the slots of the block, and an actuator accessible from the surface of the cylinder for rotating the gear.

7. In a plate clamp, the combination with a plate support having a recess, a block arranged to have a sliding movement in the recess at a diagonal to the plane of the bottom thereof and carrying a clamp projecting above the support and provided With a bevelled clamping face, a threaded actuator rod anchored in the recess, a gear in the recess operated from the rod, and connections between the gear and the sliding block.

8. In a plate clamp, the combination of a plate support having a recess, guides in the recess inclined toward the bottom, a block arranged to have its sliding movement in the guides and carrying a clamp projecting above the support, a driver in the recess for sliding the block, and an actuator accessible from the surface of the cylinder for operating the driver.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

LOUIS A. SCHMIDT. 

